How Much Clearer Could It Be?

Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land, as the LORD had commanded them. Instead, they mingled among the pagans and adopted their evil customs. They worshiped their idols, which led to their downfall. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder. They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the LORD’s sight. [Psalm 106.34-39] 

How can we even imagine that idolatry and the murder of innocent children are not as much a problem today as they were in Israel's time?

Many today concur that abortion is the modern form of child sacrifice (a recurring sin found in the Old Testament conveniently related to sexual promiscuity), but few accurately recognize idolatry in its contemporary forms.

Idols may be identified by the roles they play in the lives of their worshipers. Idols offer their (usually impatient) worshipers what God offers: in a word, blessings. Idols are also most often costly. And, idols are usually man-made. All of this is confirmed in the Exodus 32 story of the gold calf.

What is devastatingly overlooked however in the prophetic Exodus 32 account of Israel's idolatry is perhaps the most definitive identifier of the most dangerous idols in our day...

Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!” [Exodus 32.5]

The most dangerous idols today can be accurately identified by their erroneous validation by association with God. As Aaron attempted to associate the gold calf with the LORD, so idolaters in the Church today no less defend their idolatry by claiming those idols' association with God - going so far as to actually say, "God gave them [the idols]." 

It should be recognized that today's debt, insurance, medicine and technology all perfectly fit the Biblical definition of idols as revealed in Exodus 32! They are man-made. They are costly. They offer immediate relief (gratification) - i.e. blessings God promised. And, even worse, they are validated as gifts from God and thus defended by the very people whose Jealous God's First Commandment is to "...have no other gods" (Exodus 20.3).

How much clearer could it be?

Father, there is little hope of the world being influenced away from idolatry when the Church is rife with it. Forgive us this wrong! May there be a revival of Biblical Truth in the Church that will set it apart from the world and its idolatrous ways. May this revival of Truth be faith-centered on every promise of Jesus Christ as the only Way, the only Truth, and the only life. May Jesus be exalted as the fulfillment of Your every promise to mankind. And, may the costly, man-made idols born of man's impatience and unbelief be forsaken and turned away from as Your people renounce their misplaced faith in them. So be it.